Vegetarian homesteaders

I have been vegetarian on and off through my life. Now I eat fish on occasion, and I do eat eggs and rarely sheep cheese when we find it (we are lactose intolerant and dd is allergic).

I really don't like the taste or texture of meat, even when I did eat it. It would take me an hour to pick around anything resembling tissue or blood or I would throw up. I used to be a phlebotomist, and the site of my dh eating bloody steak makes me nauseous.

I am also a bad vegetarian for ethical reasons. I have the bambi complex, and just can't eat it anymore. I even cry at roadkill. I had some very traumatizing experiences as a child. I try very hard to eat non-GMO and organic, but until we can buy some land, I am doing the best I can. My two oldest kids are now vegetarian, too. I let them decide.

I tried to be vegan for awhile, but eggs really make a difference in some recipes, and I love honey. Dairy I could do without anymore. But my girls like sheep cheese.

My solution is to grow as much as possible for ourselves. This doesn't work 100% as there are some things I still have to buy but it is a step.

Cheers

-Walter
Sugar Mountain Farm
in the mountains of Vermont
http://SugarMtnFarm.com/blog/
http://NoNAIS.org

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SugarMtnFarm.com -- Pastured Pigs, Poultry, Sheep, Dogs and Kids

Vegetarians can be separated in to mainly four types:

Type 1) Semi vegetarians - These 'vegetarians' eat all types of foods in their diet - including meat. However these individuals limit the amount of animal products they consume.

Type 2) Lacto vegetarian - Individuals in this group are a step up from the semi vegetarians. They avoid all animal products except for dairy products in their diet.

Type 3) Lacto-ovo vegetarians - This type of vegetarian diet excludes all meat except for dairy and eggs. It is the most common type of vegetarian diets.

Type 4) Vegans - These are the 'hard-core" vegetarians who avoid all animal products in their diet, such as meats, dairy products, and eggs. The vegan diet rely on lentils, beans, soy products etc.. Many Vegans also avoid the use of animal products such as leather.

lacto/ovo

someone who thinks its cruel to eat animals but has no problem with holding them proisoner and eating what drops or squirts out of them.

I will eat whatever hold still long enough for me to cook it.

I am a lacto-ovo vegetarian. HOWEVER, I'm not on my homestead yet. I'm currently living in the suburbs. Once we move onto our acreage this spring, I do intend to start keeping chickens. And when I'm able to raise my own animals, I very well might decide to start eating meat again. I like knowing where my food comes from.

HilltopDaisy -- do you make your own tofu? If so, could you share the process either here or on a separate thread? Thanks.

I eat very, VERY limited amounts of meat and animal products, for health reasons. We do eat meat, just not very often, and only organically raised. The bulk of our protein comes from eggs and dairy products and by food combining (beans and rice, lentils and couscous, etc.) to make complete non-animal proteins.

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Ignorance is the true enemy.

I've seen the village, and I don't want it raising my children.

www.newcenturyhomestead.com

Actually, I just try to be the least cruel that I can. I understand that humans are omnivores and that there is a circle of life. I try to take the least life possible. I try to get humanely raised cheese (organic) and free range eggs from local farms.

I have a HUGE problem with getting the eggs and milk the way I have seen on those videos and on some farms I have driven past.

I agree with having canine teeth and eyes in the front. We are predators. I have to have meat every day. I also prefer red meat or pork. I do love all veges BUT want meat on the table.

Thoughtful omnivore. If I can't get local, organic, pastured, we don't eat meat. Same for cheese and eggs. www.slowfood.com & www.eatwild.com are a couple of my rseources. Part of our reason for buying our homestead is so we don't have to participate in factory farming on any level.

Hi;
Love your post!

HI All;
I have made my own tofu but its time consuming.
Anyone here make tempeh?

I make an excellent tofu and tempeh substitute. I start with a piece of pastured pork and brine it for a minimum of three days. Then bake at 350°F until the internal temperature is about 150°F - baste every 40 minutes. The taste is out of this world and it is even better than the pretend stuff.

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SugarMtnFarm.com -- Pastured Pigs, Poultry, Sheep, Dogs and Kids

Lacto - Ovo vegetarian with my own dairy cows and my own free range hens laying unfertilized eggs. or five years I raised my own livestock compassionately and butchered our own pigs, rabbits, and poultry but in the end couldn't justify the killing to eat flesh. It is defintely a personal decision. We all have different reasons for eating meat or abstaining from it; last reason on my list would be my own health.

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Tiny Forest ~ my tiny blog

Hi Highlands;
Love your post!!!
I needed a good laugh!

I love tempeh but haven't made it yet-here's the recipe and the link I have in my favorites for the day I finally get around to making it.

Tempeh
Ingredients to make tempeh
For making tempeh (500 g) you need the following ingredients:
- 300 g whole soybeans
- 4 tablespoons vinegar
- 1 teaspoon tempeh starter

The instructions on how to proceed are at the site below!
http://www.tempeh.info/maketempeh/ho...ke-tempeh.html

This site has recipes both for a variety of tempehs but also for dishes using the tempeh once you have it made, explainations of the benefits of tempeh and even instructions on how to make your own tempeh incubator.

HI;
I made tempeh last year. My son built the incubator and I ordered tempeh starter from tempeh labs. I followed the instructions to a t and the tempeh smelled like baking bread. My problem was that it caused digestive upset. I'm not sure if it was due to the tempeh itself or if I was just grossed out by the sight of it.

Omnivore all the way here, love vegies and meat. Hey, I love food and could never choose to leave any of it out. Part of homesteading for us was to hunt or trap most of our meat AND to raise vegies and pick fruit... Can't imagine homesteading without hunting. Deer good, pig good, bear good, duck good , goose good, rabbit good, and forget about cow, the great god of meat. Meat is just good!

Reading this post makes me think about how tasty vegans must be, all organic and stuff. I wonder if baiting would be against the game laws of most states? I could put up a sign that said organic vegies or something and I bet I could bag a few a year. I could pen them, but I would rather hunt then farm for meat as I hate to kill animals I get to know and like, I am kinda soft that way.

Hi;
Sorry to break it to you but if we weren't range fed we might become too fat. Maybe you could put electric collars on us and have living in a say 40-50 acre plot with our organic veggies surrounded by an electric fence. If we crossed the fence we'd be zapped, slightly seared before roasting. Or have a lottery or maybe just select the one that looked the yummiest! LOL!

Tami

I hear you, and I think some are good idea's, but I have high moral standards about the animals I hunt and would just as soon have them experience freedom. Besides most lean meats are bland.

Some of what you suggest is rather cruel and I would suggest you think about that! I am not saying all but...

Electric collars on vegans! Preposterous!

I tried vegeterianism in my late 20's, for 2-3 years. My hair became full of split ends, and my nails kept splitting down to the point of bleeding. The main problem was my night vision got so bad, I could hardly drive at night. After changing back to my meat at every meal way in which I was raised, all my problems went away.